Joyce versus Serco

Liverpool These Walls Must Fall campaigner Joyce takes on multinational company Serco, and forces them to apologise on the TV news!

As someone seeking asylum in the UK, Joyce has no choice but to live in accommodation provided under contract by companies like Serco, the same company that run detention centres such as the notorious Yarl’s Wood. This accommodation is very often substandard, even slum housing, and complaining generally gets you nowhere. But Joyce is not one to just put up with injustice.

Like so many other people, Joyce is fed up with her complaints about the condition of her flat being ignored. So she spoke to ITV Granada news, and they came to investigate.

It should not take a news investigation to force a landlord to fix a leaking ceiling. People like Joyce should never be forced to go to such lengths to ensure their home is habitable. The landlords receiving millions of pounds of government money should be providing a decent service and be held to accont when they fail, as they so frequently so.

And quite frankly, companies with such awful records of abuse running detention centres like the hellish Yarl’s Wood should not be contracted to provide homes for people seeking sanctuary.

Thank you Joyce, for speaking out!

Do you have a story of living in sub-standard asylum accommodation? Let us know in the comments below, or get in touch

These Walls Must Fall is an initiative coordinated by Right to Remain. We are building a network of community campaigns to raise awareness of and challenge the use of immigration detention in the UK. We are extremely grateful for the financial support through charitable grant funding from Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Ben and Jerry's, and from public donations.